Coffee steeping bag



K. E. CARRQLL 2,4669735 COFFEE STEEPING BAG Filed Dec. l, 1947 JWIN/1440@ EE rob;

Patented Feb. l, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT oEEicE COFFEE STEEPING BAG Katherine'Ester Carroll, Prescott, Ariz.

Application December 1, 1947, Serial No. 789,092

(C1. 9er-77.1)

6 Claims. 1

The following specification relates to my improved coffee steeping bag adapted for use especially with the present day equipment for percolating coffee. More particularly described, the bag is intended to supplya predetermined and measured quantity of ground coffee or the like in an expendable bag which will be convenient in use and readily disposed of.

A further object of my invention is to provide facility for increasing the quantity of coffee to be steeped without risk of its being carried into contact with the filtering means normally provided.

A still further object of my invention is to enable the user to remove the spent grounds in a convenient and efficient manner.

Other objects of my invention will be clearly apparent and evident from the following description of the preferred form as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view partially in vertical cross section illustrating the manner in which may improved steeping bag is used in a popular form of coiee percolator;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the steeping bag;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same and Fig. 4 is a vertical axial cross section of the bag as shown in Fig. 3.

A Widely known type of coffee brewing equipment or percolator is that shown in Fig. 1. It consists of a lower pot 5 of heat resistant material, preferably glass, in which water may be brought to a boil. The pot has a handle 6 removably attached to the pot 5 by means of a l collar 1.

The rubber ring or gasket 8 is adapted to f'lt within the upper neck 9 of the pot and form a steamtight seal.

The upper steeping vessel is in the form of a bowl I which is fitted removably but tightly into the rubber ring 8. The lower portion of the bowl In is extended to form a well II where it fits within the ring 8. An axial drain tube I2 extends vertically downward from the bowl I'I to within a short distance of the bottom of the pot 5.

The conventional percolator is completed by the addition of the removable percolating tube I3. This is open at the bottom and extends within the drain tube I2. The mid-portion I4 of the tube I3 is roughened in the zone where it rests upon the bottom of the well Il. This roughness is suflicient to permit drainage of the coffee extracted but at the same time to prevent escape of the ground coffee.

The upper portion of the tube I3 has a plurality of holes I5 out of which the boiling water may escape into the bowl. I0. The upper end of the tube I'3 terminates in a conical closed portion IB.

In ordinary operation, coffee ground to the requisite fineness is added to the well Il in an amount calculated for the volume of the water contained in the pot 5. If the pot is then heated, the water is lifted by the trapped steam pressure into the percolating tube and out of the holes f5. It then drains back through the granular coffee and into the pot 5 and is especially rapid when the pot is no longer subject to heat but the entrapped steam is allowed to condense.

It is always a matter of convenience for the :user of this equipment to have the requisite amount of coffee already packaged for placing in the bowl Il. This, however, does not provide sufiicient flexibility to allow for added quantity. To overcome this disadvantage, I have designed a package which contains a normal quantity of ground coffee but at the same time provides for receiving and holding an additional quantity whenever the need arises.

As the drawings illustrate, my improved bag Il is an envelope made from three discs of porous tissue, film or textile fabric. The material is such that it will serve as a lter to prevent the escape of the ground coffee. However, it permits the ready passage of boiling water and the coffee extracted.

The lower disc I8 and the middle disc I9 are stitched together at the periphery to form the bag in which the coffee 2l) has been placed. A third disc 2l of the same general dimensions rests upon the middle disc I9. The three discs are stitched together as at 22 to form a central eye 23 and give the bag made of the discs I8 and I9 the form of a tore. By slitting the fabric diametrically as shown at 24 in two or more directions, the eye has a star-shaped opening formed by the fiaps 25 of the 3-ply material. This stitching 22 also confines the coffee in the bag but excludes it from the central area or eye.

A drawstring 26 is threaded around the periphery of the upper disc 2|. By means of this the upper disc 2| may be drawn up to form a bag, the bottom of which is formed by the aps 25 of the central eye 23.

Assuming that the toric bag formed by the discs I8 and I9 contains a normal quantity of coffee, it is fitted over the upper end I6 of the percolating tube either before or after the latter. has been tted over the well Il and drain tube` I2. In this arrangement of parts the aps l-ar er spread apart and t snugly around the sidewai of the mid-portion Il of thepercolating tube. They thus form a very satisfactory means for centering the bag on the tube and insurel the hot' water raised by the steam passing through the bag rather than back around the stem ofthe percolating tube.

In order to adapt the percolatonfor the production of a. stronger brew or one containing a .Y

larger quantity of extract, use is made ofthe bag 21 formed by the upper disc 2i. With the bag partially open, the extra amount of ground coffee needed can be put in the bag and the` opening tightened Iby the drawstring.

If this is done before the bag is tted around the percolating tube portion I4, then escape of the ground coffee is prevented by the normal closed `position of the flaps 25. The aps, however, open up when the conical end portion of the tube I6 is inserted. After the insertion of the tube, the ilaps extend vertically as shown in Fig. 1 and thus prevent the escape of the conned granular coffee.

Optionally, the bag formed by the disc 2| may be lled after the device has been dropped into the bowl l0 and around the upwardly projecting mid-portion It of the tube I3. The drawstring is then tightened to confine the extra coffee.

As the bowl Il) has an open top, it is most convenient to leave thek ends of the tightened drawstring projecting out. This facilitates the removal of the steeping bag and the spent coee grounds after the extraction has been completed.

`As shown clearly in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the supplemental bag formed by the upper disc 2l Yprovides a materially greater area of contact between the mass of the coffee and the boiling water lifted into the bowl I0 throughthe percolating tube I3. In this Way the operation of steeping the coffee consumes practically the same amount of time even though the quantity of ground coffee being steeped has been increased by the amount carried within the disc 2i.

The above description and drawing applies to the preferred form of my invention. However,

it will be apparent that the advantages may also be obtained by considerable variation in material and proportions without departing from the scope of the invention as dened in the following claims.

What I claim is: 1. An improved coffee steeping bag comprising three discs of porous flexible material stitched together around the center to form a circle, said circle being diametrically slit in a-plurality of directions, a row of stitching peripherally of the bottom and middle discs to form them into a 6 a drawstring threaded peripherally through the upper disc to form it into a sack.

3. An improved colee steeping bagcomprising three discs of porous exiblermaterial stitched together around the center to form a circle, said circle being diametrically slit in a plurality of directions to provide centrally extending exible flaps adapted to t closely around the central tube of a percolator, a row of stitching peripherally of the bottom and middle discs to form them into a sack, and a drawstring threaded peripherally through the upper disc to close it over kthe upper end cf the said percolator tube.

4. An improved coffee steeping bag comprising three discs of porous flexible material stitched together around the center to form a sack bottom, a row of stitching peripherally of the bottom and middle discs to form them into a toric sack, and a drawstring threaded peripherally through the upper disc to draw it into an upstanding sack over said bottom and centrally of the toric sack. Y

5. An improved coffee steeping bag comprising three centrally'attached discs of porous flexible material, two of said discs forming a toric envelope, and the third disc having its outer edge drawn together to form the disc into a central upstanding sack.

6. An improved coiee steeping bag comprising a main compartment formed of two disks of porous fabric having circular stitching around the center and also peripherally to form a nonrellable compartment and an auxiliary compartment formed of a third disk of fabric attached to the main compartment by the inner circular stitching and having `a draw-string around its periphery.

KATHERINE ESTER CARROLL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record `in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS V1,947,523 Hirschhorn Feb. 20, 1934 

